The Walking School Bus is a great way to get kids to school safely using their own energy instead of fossil fuels. This means it's good for children's health and good for the environment, too.  In addition, a walking school bus offers parents the security of knowing their children are walking to school in a fun group setting while being supervised by adults.  For more information about starting or running a Walking School Bus, visit the links below.

 

Walking School Bus Guides

The New Jersey DOT ‘s Safe Routes to School homepage lists a host of information on funding, programs, strategies, success stories, events and much more. Included on the website is a Toolbox which provides individual fact sheets that cover a range of information on launching a SRTS program. A Walk and Bike to School Events fact sheet can be downloaded at: http://www.state.nj.us/

transportation/community/srts/

 

The Walking School Bus: Combining Safety, Fun and the Walk to School from the National SRTS online guide provides general and detailed information on the Walking School Bus. Additional resources can be found here as well: http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/guide/

walking_school_bus/index.cfm

 

Walking School Bus Success Story and Tips in Starting your Own

RideWise TMA and Van Derveer Elementary School Establish a Model Walking School Bus (WSB) Program highlights the success story of Somerville’s WSB program, which began in 2004. The article provides information on how Somerville has drawn an average of 300 students a week to join in the Walking School Bus success story. http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/

community/srts/pdf/ss_somerville.pdf

 

Walking School Bus Evaluation

"KidsWalk-to-School Participant Evaluation." KidsWalk-to-School: A Guide

to Promote Walking to School, http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/kids

walk/pdf/kidswalk.pdf (pg. 61), displays a sample of a parent survey that can be used to shape your own community’s unique Walking School Bus.

 

Getting School and Community Support "Walking and Bicycling to School: Community Presentation." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/kids

walk/resources.htm, offers a sample slide presentation that can be presented to a neighborhood, school, or community to increase knowledge and interest in participating in a Walk & Bicycle to School program.

 

International Walk to School Events

The official website of International Walk to School Month, http://www.iwalkto

school.org, shows worldwide support for the program and can be shared with others in the local community to create momentum for the program.

 

Route Planning

"Safe Routes to School Online Guide: Engineering, school route maps and the tools to create them." National Center for Safe Routes to School, http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/saferoutes

info.org/guide/engineering/school_route_

maps_and_the_tools_to_create_them.cfm, assists in planning out a Walking School Bus route in your community.

 

Safety Tips

"KidsWalk-to-School: Pedestrian Safety." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/

dnpa/kidswalk/pedestrian_safety.htm (pg. 37) and "Walking School Bus: Guidelines for Talking to Children about Pedestrian Safety." Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, http://www.walking

schoolbus.org/safety.pdf, provide helpful safety tips when planning your own Walking School Bus.